AP: Rahm Emanuel To Leave White House Friday

“He intends to run for mayor,” one person close to Emanuel told The Associated Press, requesting anonymity to avoid pre-empting the announcement.

Emanuel doesn’t have a lock on the job, as there will be much competition for the job.

Two people close to him said Thursday they did not know when Emanuel would officially declare he was entering the mayoral race, but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.